Analyse and Apply
by VaraReadsTooMuch
Summary: What were Foxface's final moments in the Arena like? I think she was probably hungry, homesick and very, very tired. Here are those last few minutes, through her eyes.


"I will always analyse the situation and apply myself." That's what I said to Caesar Flickerman at the interviews. _So much for that, _I think bitterly, as I flee my latest hiding place.

All I've eaten for days is bark and dry roots. Near the start of the Games, I could steal from the other tributes with ease, but as our numbers have diminished, it's become increasingly harder. The little food I had didn't last me long, being constantly on the run. I identified so many edible plants during training. Why are there none in the arena?

Exhausted, I lean against a tree trunk. I want to go home to my mum and to my little sister, Alana. I want to hear them laugh again. And I so badly want to tell Raina how desperately in love with her I am. I never did, and now, I'm never going to be able to.

I know there's no way I'll survive this Games. If I'd found an ally, perhaps my intelligence would have served me well. But I have next to no physical strength, and on my own in the Arena, that's not exactly helpful. My wits have kept me going thus far, but even they're deserting me now. All I can think about is food. I double up in pain as my stomach growls violently.

Crap! I've stumbled onto a camp. I dart behind a tree, my heart hammering, and watch. It seems like there's nobody there… and there's a slim chance that whoever's deserted the site might have left behind some food. I approach the camp with caution, treading noiselessly as a fox.

After a few moments searching, I ascertain that there's no food here. Disappointed beyond measure, I fight off another convulsion from my empty insides. Hang on, is that… nightlock? I scoop up some of the dark berries, and take a closer look. Yes, they're definitely nightlock. That's strange. What were they planning to do, _eat_ _it?_

_Maybe they thought the berries were edible._ They do look a lot like blueberries, after all. I notice a lot of clutter around me, so whoever's camp this is, they're coming back. As I'm about to leave, I spot a bag from the feast by my feet, with a large "12" emblazoned on it. District Twelve.

You want to know what was in my bag at the feast? _Nothing. _No food, no water, no anything. I put my life on the line to retrieve that bag, I opened it to find it full of packing foam. Not one sponsor in the Capitol thought I had a high enough chance of winning to pay for a measly handful of food for me. I didn't cry when I realised though. I had cried all my tears, a long time before.

But District Twelve is Katniss and Peeta; the star-crossed lovers. The girl who volunteered for her sister, and the boy who went into the arena with the girl he loved. Now, there's been a rule change that says they can both go home, since they're from the same district. I think… I think I'd like them to win, since I clearly can't. But they're not going to, if they eat the nightlock. I could throw it away, but how to make sure that they don't try to eat it again? I suppose, if they did, then Cato would win. I don't want that – another soulless career tribute taking the crown again. Year after year, they massacre the other districts. They volunteer for the "glory" of taking life, and the thought enrages me.

I don't want Cato to kill me any more than I want him to win. I know he's skilled with swords, and I don't doubt he'd make my death very painful. I managed to set up a very complex trap for Thresh, but didn't hear a canon. It's possible that I missed it, but it's more likely that he's still alive, and looking to eliminate the weakest competition left: me. And, much as I like District Twelve, I'm certain that Katniss would shoot me on sight, no questions asked. These aren't ways that I would particularly like to die.

My district partner died in the bloodbath, while I ran the other way. It wasn't out of malice – I didn't know Jasper back home, and he didn't know me. But aware that I would have been slaughtered in the bloodbath, I avoided it altogether, without even thinking about him. It's true that I survived longer, but in the end, it amounts to nothing: we both die, just sixteen short days apart. I should have stayed at the Cornucopia, and met my end there. Was I too clever to, or too cowardly? Too cowardly, I think. I've been stupid enough to starve, and cowardly enough to fear my fellow tribute's weapons when I know that death –untimely, but inevitable death – will bring me peace.

I look at the berries in my hand. If I ate them, no one else could kill me in a gruesome way of their choosing. It would be a perfect warning to District Twelve, who I'm sure could then win and go home. And I wouldn't be hungry any more.

"I will always analyse the situation and apply myself." Maybe it still holds true. I take a few of the berries, and tip them into my mouth. _I'm sorry, mum. I'm sorry, Alana. I love you both so, so much, but I can't keep fighting this._ I think of my district partner. _I'm sorry I let you die, Jasper, but you'll be seeing me very soon. Can you forgive me? _ I bite down onto the fruit, and as I swallow, some of the juice leaks down onto my chin. It's bright red, so I assume I look like some sort of vampire. How amusing.

This death isn't even painful. Nightlock is sweet-tasting, and my stomach growls again, as it greedily accepts what it thinks is nourishment. Almost immediately, I collapse dizzily onto my back, and the remaining berries roll from my hand as I stare up into the open sky. It feels as if I'm being pulled under by morphling. All sensation starts to leave my body; hunger bothers me no more, dehydration no longer makes my head pound, and my limbs stop aching from fatigue. One moment, I'm here, and the next – _I'm gone._

* * *

**I 'm aware that it's not a popular opinion, but I am convinced that Foxface committed suicide. To me, it just seemed that she was too _clever_ to accidentally eat nightlock. As for the bit about "Raina" - I don't actually think that Foxface was gay, but I felt that the fandom is a bit too heteronormative sometimes. To be honest, I ship Foxface with Peeta, but that is an incredibly long AU story, and I'm already writing one of those at the moment. Please review if you liked it (or if you didn't)!**

**Thanks,**

**Vara.**


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